Adjustable metal form



R. A. PULLIAM ADJUSTABLE METAL FORM Original Filed May 27. 1958 INVENTOR. ROBERT A.Puu.\AM

BY I

ArroRNEY Fic;.(5.

United States 1958. This application Ap 22, 1960, Ser. No. 24,175 3 Claims. (Cl. 25-1315) This invention relates to a metallic form device for use in casting concrete floors, roofs or the like in situ.

The invention contemplates the use of flat metallic plates that are cumulative to span an opening between adjacent load bearing members and with the plates constituting the form being extensible to readily accommodate themselves to openings of varying widths.

The invention further contemplates the metallic forms that are used in multiple and with each form comprising a pair of telescopic plates having lip portions that overlie and rest upon the marginal surfaces of weight bearing elements, such as precast joists and with the plates constituting the form being shaped to provide reinforcing flanges that serve to prevent downward flexing of the forms when concrete is poured thereover.

The invention further contemplates forms having the above noted characteristics and with the forms having substantially interlocking engagement at their abutting Zdges that prevents leakage of the concrete past the orms.

The invention further contemplates forms that are so constructed as to definitely position their lip portions to a predetermined overlying and resting support upon the load bearing elements and with one of the plates of each form device being provided with an angle iron upon its lower face that is normally parallel with and spaced from the side of the adjacent load bearing element when the forms are in use and whereby a fulcrum tool may be engaged between the angle iron and the side of the weight bearing element to force the plate away from the load bearing element after the concrete has hardened thus, permitting the removal of the forms with a minimum of effort.

This is a continuation of my copending application Serial No. 738,056, filed May 27, 1958, now abandoned. I

Novel features of construction and operation of the device will be more clearly apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein has been illustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a pair of adjacent load bearing elements and showing the invention applied thereto for receiving the concrete thereover;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section taken substantially on line 22 of FIGURE 1, and;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse section taken substantially on line 33 of FIGURE 1.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a unit form device, embodying metallic sheets 6 and 7.' Thesheet 6 along one edge is bent downwardly at8 and then outwardly at 9, to form a rib 10. The rib is formed by bending the material upon itself, as shown clearly in FIGURE 3 and with the forming of the rib providing a channel 11. The terminal end of the sheet is bent downwardly at a right angle as at 12, forming a reinforcing flange that successfully prevents downward flexing of the sheet 6 when a load is applied thereto. The opposite edge of the sheet is bent upon itself as at 13 forming a channel 14 and with the terminal portion of the sheet being bent 3,004,321 Patented Oct. 17, 1951 at right angle to form a depending flange 15, also constituting a reinforcing element to further reinforce the form against flexing. The forming of the edges of the sheet to constitute the channels 11 and 14, is spaced away from the edge of the sheet at one end to form a lip portion 16. The lip portion 16 in use, is adapted to rest upon the upper surface of a weight bearing element, such as a precast concrete joist 17, or other load bearing members. I

The sheet 7 has telescopic engagement withthe channels 11 and 14 so that the sheets are juxtaposed with respect to each other. One edge 18 of the sheet 7 is bent downwardly at an angle corresponding to the bent portion 8 of the sheet 6 and the terminal edge of the sheet 7 is bent outwardly to form a flange 19, that is shiftable within the channel 11. The opposite edge of the sheet 7 is formed plain and slidably engages the channel 14 so that the sheet 7 snugly underlies the sheet 6 and with the flanges being in snug sliding engagement. The forming of the flange 19 is inwardly of the free end of the sheet 7, forming the transverse lip portion 20, that has resting engagement upon and adajcent weight bearing element '17. [The forming of'the flanges and the channels inwardly from the ends of the sheets 6 and 7, provides a very definite limit to accurately dispose the lips in the predetermined overlap with respect to the joist. The sheet 7 upon its underside is provided with an angle iron 21, welded or otherwise connected thereto, and as shown in FIGURE 2, the angle iron is spaced from the side of the joist 17 so that a suitable tool may be engaged between the side of the joist and the flange of the angle iron for forcing the sheet 7 away from the joist 17 when the device is to be disassembled from the poured concrete floor, roof or the like.

In assembling the device, the units will be initially started at one end of the opening defined by the joist 17 and progressively accumulated throughout the length of the opening. As clearly shown in FIGURE 3, each of the units 5 have overlapping engagement, whereby the bending portion 13 has overlapping engagement with the rib 10 thus, very effectively reinforcing the meeting edges of the forms that successfully retards any downward flexing under the weight of concrete being poured thereover. Also, the overlapping of the members with respect to each other prevents any leakage of concrete past the joists and the forms. The devices are obviously extended in accordance with the width of the opening between the joist 17 and this is easily accomplished by first resting the lip 16 in full contacting engagement with one joist 17 and then sliding one sheet 7 outwardly to the point where the end portion of the flange 19 abuts the side of the opposite joist 17 in which position, the lip 20 is properly disposed over the edge of the joist.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a very novel type of concrete form has been provided. The structure permits of the rapid installation of the forms at a minimum cost from the standpoint of labor and at a relatively low cost as compared to previous forms employed in molding or forming concrete floors or the like. The forms 5 are used over and over and are readily extendible to span the respective opening be tween adjacent weight bearing elements and accom- 'modates itself to slight irregularities in the spacing of the joists. The device is not limited to the use with concrete joists, but may also constitute form means in any particular structure and the lips .16 and 20 may 0bviously rest upon wood strips or the like that are nailed into or otherwise supported by wall structures and whereby the floor or roof may be readily cast to be anchored into the wall structure or the like. The forms are quickly and easily removed and as one floor is completed, the forms may be removed and reassembled with respect to other floors, especially in a multistoried building. The sheets 6 and 7 and their reinforcing edges are stamped or rolled in an economical manner and provides for a very definite reinforcing against flexing without the use of shoring Or other supporting means and due to its non-flexibility, requires only the minimum quantity of concrete to be poured in the floor, thus greatly reducing the cost of the concrete as compared with previous methods employed such for instance, as the combination of the paper and wire mesh that sags under the weight of concrete poured thereover, thus requiring a very considerable increase in the amount of concrete necessary to bring a floor to a proper level above the weight bearing elements. Leakage of concrete past conventional abutting forms has heretofore been highly objectionable and also costly from the standpoint of wasted concrete. The device is adapted to be formed in various dimensions both longitudinally and transversely and with the telescopic engagement of the sheets 6 and 7 providing for a relatively wide range of openings between the joists or other weight bearing members.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fall Within the spirit of the invention as shall be determined by the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. -A form to make a concrete floor or the like and to be mounted upon spaced beams, said form comprising a substantially horizontal first plate, a depending substantially vertical web formed upon one edge of the first'plate, a first U-shaped channel element formed upon the lower edge of the substantially vertical depending web, said first U-shaped channel element including upper and lower sides and a closed end, the closed end being arranged outermost, the first U-shaped channel element being arranged at an elevation beneath the first plate and substantially parallel therewith for forming a first upper recess, a substantially vertical stiffening flange carried by the lower side of the first channel element and depending below such lower side, a second U-shaped channel element formed upon the opposite edge of the first plate and including upper and lower sides and an outer closed end, the upper side of the second channel element being substantially flush with the upper face of the first plate, a substantially vertical stiffening flange formed upon the inner end of the lower side of the second channel element and depending below such lower side, the channel elements carried bysaid opposite edgesof the first plate being spaced inwardly'from the edge of the first plate which edge is arranged transversely of said opposite edges of the first plate, a second substantially horizontal plate, a depending substantially vertical web carried by one edge of the second plate, a substantially horizontal flange carried by the lower edge of the last-named web and adapted for insertion within the first-named channel element, the second plate continuing in the same plane to its'opposite end, the opposite end of the second plate being mounted within the second U-shaped channel element, the Web and flange of the second plate being spaced from the adjacent edge of the second plate which adjacent edge is arranged transversely of the web and flange of the second plate, the web and flange of the second plate forming an upper second recess, the arrangement being such that the first recess is adapted to receive the second channel element of a companion first plate and the second recess to receive the edge portion of the second companion plate.

2. A form to make a concrete floor or the like as defined by claim 1, and an operating element arranged beneath and attached to the second plate and disposed near one beam so that the operating element may be shifted by a tool bearing against the operating element and the last-named beam.

3. A temporary concrete form for casting concrete floors or the like in situ and where the floor or the like is carried upon spaced apart concrete beams forming weight bearing members, comprising a plurality of form sections adapted to be aligned along a longitudinal axis paralleling said beams with each form section extending transversely between adjacent beams to span the space therebetween, each form section comprising first and second juxtaposed metallic sheets that have telescopic sliding movement with respect to each other transversely of the beams, each of said sheets having an upwardly facing planar casting surface bounded by transverse ends extending transversely of thebeams and inner and outer lateral edges extending parallel to said beams with the outer lateral edges disposed adjacent the beams and the inner lateral edges disposed at an intermediate location between adjacent beams, theouter lateral edges of said sheets defining lip portions that lap over and have resting supporting engagement upon the tops of the beams and whereby the form sections are wholly supported in spanning relation to the space between the beams, the form sections being cumulative to extend along said longitudinal axis for the full length of the space between an adjacent pair of beams, the first telescopic sheet of each form section having the opposite transverse ends thereof shaped to form channel members for the telescopic reception of the transverse ends of the second sheet, the shaping of the transverse ends of the first sheet providing depending flanges for imparting rigidity to the assembled form and to prevent flexing of the form downwardly under the weight of concrete being poured thereover, the channel members at one transverse end of each sheet of a form section being ofifset downwardly from the channel members at the other transverse end to dispose the transverse ends of successive form sections in overlapping relation with the casting surfaces of the sheets of said form section substantially flush with each other, means depending from one of the sheets of each form section adjacent its outer lateral edge for the reception of a tool whereby the sheet may be shifted to additional telescopic relation with its associated sheet to a point Where its lip portion will be disengaged from the beam and whereby the form section may be removed downwardly from the concrete floor after the floor is sufiiciently hardened, and the channel members of said sheets terminating a selected distance from the outer edges of said sheets to provide stops for abutting sides of the beams and limiting the extent of lap of said lip portions over said beams.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 461,342 Kinnear Oct. 13, 1891 821,869 Hathaway May 29, 1906 1,507,046 Cockerell et a1 Sept. 2, 1924 2,488,887 Adams Nov. 22, 1949 2,678,116 Gruber May 11, 1954 

